The present invention relates to a safety device for firearms and more specifically a firearm safety device adapted to be secured to a firearm for preventing access to and actuation of the trigger.
Referring to FIG. 1, a known firearm is shown generally at 10. The firearm includes a trigger 12 having a front portion 14 which is actuated or pulled to discharge the firearm 10. A trigger guard 16 extends from the firearm 10 and around the trigger 12 to help prevent unintended actuation of the trigger 12. The trigger guard includes an inside surface 16a, an outside surface 16b, and opposing side surfaces (one of which is shown as 16c). Many firearms have a trigger 12 with a back portion 18 disposed within the trigger guard 16 thereby defining a space 20 behind the trigger 12.
Referring to FIG. 2, a second embodiment of a known firearm is shown generally at 22 having a trigger guard 16. The firearm 22 also includes a trigger 24 having a front portion 26. However, the trigger 24 does not include a back portion disposed within the trigger guard 16 and is therefore referred to as a xe2x80x9csolidxe2x80x9d trigger. The solid trigger 24 does not have a space defined behind the trigger, although some solid triggers 24 may be perforated by a plurality of holes (not shown) formed through the trigger 24.
Unintended actuation of the trigger 12, 24 by a person handling the firearm 10, 22, and/or unauthorized use by a person, such as a child, present common safety concerns. Firearm safety devices have been developed in an attempt to remedy these concerns. Most known firearm safety devices are attached to the firearm 10, 22 typically to the trigger guard 16 and attempt to block access to or actuation of the trigger 12, 24.
However, for a variety of reasons typical known firearm safety devices do not meet the needs of firearm owners. Many are not adjustable enough to be used on a wide variety of firearms. Many known firearm safety devices can be removed too easily by a person not authorized to use the firearm, while others cannot be removed quickly enough by those who are. Further, many firearm safety devices, even when secured to the firearm, do not adequately prevent discharging the firearm.
Accordingly, it has been considered desirable to develop a new and improved firearm safety device which would overcome the foregoing difficulties and meet the above-stated needs while providing better and more advantageous results.
The present invention relates to a firearm safety device for use in combination with a firearm having a trigger and trigger guard. The firearm safety device includes a first and second assemblies adapted to be secured to the firearm on opposite sides of the trigger guard to prevent access to and actuation of the trigger. One or more lock posts in one of the assemblies engages one or more pawls in the other assembly to secure the firearm safety device to the firearm.
The firearm safety device further includes a moveable clamp assembly. One embodiment includes a slide member having first and second posts disposed in a spaced apart relationship for receiving a portion of the trigger guard therebetween. A fastener is used to secure the slide member to the first or second assembly in a position to accommodate the trigger guard thereby preventing further sliding movement. The slide member may optionally include a plurality of apertures for receiving the second post thereby providing further adjustability. The moveable clamp assembly can include a cam having an eccentric outer surface connected to the first post to further increase the adjustability for different sized trigger guards, thereby accommodating many different firearms.
A plurality of apertures are formed in the first and second assemblies for receiving pins. One embodiment of the firearm safety device includes pins having a first end received in the first assembly apertures and a second end received in the second assembly apertures. One or more pins extend between the first and second assemblies in this manner. Another embodiment includes trigger guards having pins received in the apertures. The plurality of apertures allow the trigger guards to be positioned such that they are disposed adjacent the trigger for blocking access to and preventing actuation of a solid trigger.
A lip is disposed on the periphery of one of the first or second assemblies for overlapping with the other of the first and second assemblies such that the periphery of the assemblies overlap when secured to the firearm. The overlap prevents prying the assemblies apart when mounted to the firearm.
A third embodiment of the firearm safety device includes an electronic keypad and an electric motor for locking and unlocking the first and second assembly. An alarm is included which sounds when the firearm is moved or upon the conclusion of a countdown initiated by an attempt to unlock the device. The alarm preferably sounds continuously during a first time period, is silent during a second time period and then sounds during a third time period which is shorter than the first time period. The second and third time periods are repeated so that the alarm sounds intermittently after sounding during the first time period.
The firearm safety device can include a keypad having a single row of keys for quickly unlocking the device. Finger positioning guides can be used to provide tactile references for guiding the fingers into contact with the keys assisting the removal of the device without visual cues.
Still other benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the following detailed specification.